1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conditioner used in the softening of fabric.
2. Description of the Background
It is known that washed textiles exhibit unpleasant hardening after drying. Moreover, the washing of clothes in modern households in automatic washing machines and small drying rooms contributes to hardening of the clothes. This hardening is undesired since it adversely affects the wear properties of textiles.
It is possible to eliminate handle hardening of this type by treating the textiles, after washing, in a rinse bath with cationic substances which contain at least two long-chain, aliphatic moieties. These cationic substances are usually prepared in the form of aqueous dispersions which are added to the rinse bath. Up to a concentration of 10 to 15%, dispersions of this type can be prepared relatively easily. However, formulations of higher concentrations become viscous or gelatinous after a short storage time and cannot be dispersed in cold water without gelling. A good concentrated fabric conditioner must therefore meet the following demands: (i) When formulated it must keep its homogeneity during storage; (ii) Formulations must retain a thin consistency during the storage time; and (iii) The conditioner must exhibit good dispersability in cold water.
In order to meet these objectives, solutions have been formulated in the past as described in EP-B1-0,085,933 and EP-B1-0,094,655, which contain the combination of a fabric conditioner component with one or more dispersion auxiliaries through which the desired properties of the formulation are achieved. Between 15 and 60 percent by weight of a dispersion auxiliary, relative to the cationic substance active as fabric conditioner components, are required here.
The use of such large amounts of dispersant makes the conditioner formulations much more expensive or complex so that the advantage of concentrates, that is, their normally much less distribution expenditures is, in part, counteracted again. In addition, the conditioning properties of the raw materials are generally adversely affected by large amounts of dispersant. In order to formulate the fabric conditioner concentrates desired, it is therefore necessary, at present, to accept a number of disadvantages. A need therefore continues to exist for a conditioner which can be more advantageously used as a concentrate.